According to information published by KKTV on October 19, 2021, North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile into the sea in what South Korea’s military described as a weapon likely designed for submarine-based launches, which could be a Pukguksong-3 launched by a Gorae class submarine.
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Artist rendering of Sinpo class submarine and Ballistic missile (Picture source: Free3D)
The Sinpo class submarine also called the Gorae ("whale") or Pongdae class, is a new class of submarine produced in North Korea. Only one submarine has been observed in service. It is the largest submarine designed and built for the Korean People's Navy.
The design may be influenced by older Yugoslavian designs such as Heroj and Sava. There has been speculation the design is influenced by modern Russian submarines of Kilo-class or Golf class submarine, but the submarine is significantly smaller than these designs.
The ballistic missile Pukguksong-3 is a two-stage, solid-fueled ballistic missile. It has an estimated length of 7.8 – 8.3 meters and a diameter of 1.4 to 1.5 meters. The missile has an estimated range of 1,900 km.
A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) each of which carries a nuclear warhead and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles operate in a different way from submarine-launched cruise missiles.
